Surfaces of many different materials are coated in a variety of applications for aesthetic reasons and also for protecting a surface of an underlying substrate. For a number of reasons, it is desirable to determine a thickness of the coating applied to the surface.
For example, it may be desired to apply at least a minimum, predetermined thickness of a coating, such as a paint or a primer material on the surface, since optimal adhesion of the paint coating is generally a function of the paint thickness. In addition, applying at least a minimum thickness of paint or primer to a surface ensures that any underlying visual features on the surface do not “bleed through” the coating. This may be important in instances where projecting a professional image to customers is important, and to instill a feeling of customer confidence, such as through company signage or commercial airline tail art. This is also important for ensuring that a product, such as a motor vehicle or an airplane, displays a finish quality that is favored by the customer.
Further, applying at least a minimum thickness of the paint or primer may also provide a desired amount of protection from corrosion, or other deterioration of the underlying surface and substrate. For example, many surfaces that are painted are subject to environments that are conducive to corrosion, such as marine vessels that operate in water, which may include salt water. Further, motor vehicles and airplanes often operate in rainy or humid environments. Therefore, it is desirable to provide at least a minimum amount of protection against the corrosive effects of these environments.
In some applications, weight is an important consideration. For example, it is desirable to minimize weight of an airplane to reduce fuel consumption. Since the exterior surface area (“wetted area”) of the airplane may be significantly large, a paint and primer applied to the exterior surface can be a significant factor in the total weight of the airplane.
Therefore, it may also be desired in some applications to limit thickness of paint or primer coating on a surface to a predetermined maximum thickness.
In order to ensure that a minimum, predetermined thickness of paint or primer coating is applied and that a maximum, predetermined thickness of paint or primer coating is not exceeded, it would be desirable to nondestructively determine thickness of a paint or primer coating on a surface. Currently known nondestructive measurement techniques are limited in their applicability.
In one known method, eddy current testing is used to determine paint thickness on metal substrates. As is known, eddy current testing detects electrical currents, known as eddy currents that propagate within the metal substrate. As a result, eddy current testing can only be used to determine thickness of paint or primer that is coated onto a surface of a metal substrate.
In another known method, ultrasound testing is used to determine thickness of a paint or primer coating on a surface of a composite or plastic substrate. However, ultrasound testing is not as reliable as eddy current testing, and also exhibits reduced accuracy for coating thicknesses below approximately 0.002 inches (“2 mils”).
Therefore, there is an unmet need in the art for a simple, reliable, nondestructive method for determining a paint thickness regardless of the substrate on which the paint is coated.